Congress authorized the museum in 1989 through the National Museum of the American Indian Act of 1989. Years of planning, fundraising and contributions from Indian Country led to its opening in September 2004, an affair that drew tens of thousands of indigenous people from across the Americas to the National Mall.

"2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian by an act of Congress, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the museum in New York, the 15th anniversary of the museum’s Cultural Resources Center in Maryland, and the 10th anniversary of the opening of the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.," Director Kevin Gover noted on the NMAI website.

To mark the occasion, the museum is debuting a new exhibit and hosting a symposium on treaties. There's also an anniversary gala in D.C. on September 20